Story byChristina Pahnke - sampics/Corbis via Getty (2) Carlos BurleSean NeumannThu, December 4, 2025 at 5:56 PM UTC·3 min readNEED TO KNOWStunning video caught Brazilian surfer Carlos Burle riding a massive wave along the historic beaches of Nazaré, Portugal before becoming engulfed by the swellBurle was rescued after an extended period of time in the water and was treated by a medical team on the beachBurle previously rode one of the tallest waves in recorded surfing history at Nazaré in 2013Brazilian surfer Carlos Burle said he had one of the closest calls of his surfing career on Wednesday, as he thanked a first response team for pulling him out of a giant swell that engulfed him in the historic Portuguese big wave town of Nazaré. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementVideo shared on social media showed the 58-year-old Burle catch a massive, 80-foot wave on Wednesday, Dec. 3 before the behemoth Nazaré swell engulfed him, making the Brazilian surfer disappear into the wall of water. According to the clips shared by the local big wave surfing event, Gigantes de Nazaré, Burle appeared to remain under the water for an extended period of time before response crews led by fellow surfers Lucas Chumbo and Will Santana circled around on their jet skis and finally located him. But Burle’s frightening fight with the water wasn’t over just yet: After Chumbo was able to grab Burle from the water, Chumbo appeared to lose control of the jet ski and the pair fell back into the water as more large swells crashed over them. Christina Pahnke - sampics/Corbis via Getty Carlos BurleEventually Santana swooped in to rescue both Chumbo and Burle, towing them to safety along the Nazaré beach. Video shared later by Burle on his Instagram Stories showed medical teams providing him with oxygen as he visibly struggled the catch his breath while laying on the sand. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAfterwards, Burle took to Instagram to thank his fellow surfers for rescuing him among Portugal’s most notorious big waves, saying Chumbo, Santana, and the medical team who treated him on the beach "saved my life."A statement shared on Burle’s social media explained that the 58-year-old Brazilian surfer “was hit by the water with full speed and force" after he "caught a bomb."“Thanks to God, Lucas Chumbo was present and Burle was rescued immediately,” Burle’s team statement, translated to English, reads.